I dunno, I just put some in, whatever felt right. No particular measurement. But, yeah, it comes with a scoop.
If you were feeding fresh, raw meat, that would probably be true.You know taurine naturally exists in meat. Some parts more than the others. If a "complete food" doesn't have taurine as an additive in the ingredients, it means the taurine in it comes naturally enough from the meat and can be still seen under Guaranteed Analysis. More wouldn't hurt but it would be unnecessary and increase the price. In a can food that is mostly meat I wouldn't be surprised there is no need for extra taurine as an additive.
I don't see why you wouldn't trust the US control on this. They test the food to check if it's a "complete food" and that includes taurine. Usually the problem about commercial food isn't that a food doesn't have what it's supposed to have but where the nutrition comes from (and its potential side effects) and some things being too much, like phosphorus in some foods. Not any deficiency.If you were feeding fresh, raw meat, that would probably be true.
Taurine is supplemented because it is one that can vary a lot depending on how the animal was raised, where the meat came from (dark vs light meat), and how it was cooked and processed. It's water soluble so a lot of taurine can be lost through normal handling if proper care isn't taken. This is why it is almost always supplemented instead of relying solely on what may be in the meat.
This article explains it well enough.
Taurine: Please Make Double Sure Your Cat Gets This Daily
Long story short: I would never trust that meat alone has enough taurine when it is so easy for that taurine to be lost in cooking or processsing.
I don't know that it is tested. I think it's only tested if you want to include the AAFCO statement of a nutritionally complete and balanced food. But as My Little Lion (or Blue Ridge Beef) has shown, it's not necessary to have that statement to sell "cat food". Whereas My Little Lion does include a "supplemental feeding only" statement, Blue Ridge Beef, at least on their website, makes no such statement.I don't see why you wouldn't trust the US control on this. They test the food to check if it's a "complete food" and that includes taurine. Usually the problem about commercial food isn't that a food doesn't have what it's supposed to have but where the nutrition comes from (and its potential side effects) and some things being too much, like phosphorus in some foods. Not any deficiency.
If a commercial food, especially a popular one made it to the shelves in the USA or EU, I think it's fair to assume it has enough taurine.
Great! Thanks again. I'll go add that to my Chewy basket.I dunno, I just put some in, whatever felt right. No particular measurement. But, yeah, it comes with a scoop.
It isn't very difficult to have enough taurine in wet food, especially in poultry. I will even go ahead and say I get the hunch some brands add extra taurine not because it's needed but it's just so well-known by consumers, it's appealing to the consumer to see taurine as an additive too.I don't know that it is tested. I think it's only tested if you want to include the AAFCO statement of a nutritionally complete and balanced food. But as My Little Lion (or Blue Ridge Beef) has shown, it's not necessary to have that statement to sell "cat food". Whereas My Little Lion does include a "supplemental feeding only" statement, Blue Ridge Beef, at least on their website, makes no such statement.
We also currently have an administration who favors (and prides themselves on) eliminating regulations to favor businesses and government over consumers and the environment. All my trust in the government as a safety backstop has been suspended.
If you are talking about the recent investigation about dogs and grain-free, it’s an investigation and doesn’t necessarily say anything about taurine. The focus is more on the substitutes.I'll add that probably most, if not all, of the foods implicated in the taurine deficiencies that have resulted in DCM in dogs were also labeled "complete and balanced" foods
This whole discussion stems from my recommendation of a food labeled for supplemental feedings only. But no-one could figure out why it's labeled that. It has arguably one of the best ingredient lists out there. Even the response I got back from them seems unsatisfying. If they pride themselves on nutrition, they should know whether their food meets or exceed AAFCO standards or not. If it doesn't, why is it trying so hard to look like a balanced and complete food? Why add taurine and the other supplements if you aren't going for the AAFCO statement? The whole thing baffles me. But for a short-term, get some calories in Buddy kind of thing, whatever the deficiency, this still looks like a better option than baby food and nutri-cal. And really, the recommendation was because of how high the calories are. If Buddy is only going to get so much in his mouth at a time, or if it has to be "watered" down to push through the syringe, then you'd like to start with a high calorie food. This is the highest I've seen from a wet "food." (balanced or otherwise.)If you are talking about the recent investigation about dogs and grain-free, it’s an investigation and doesn’t necessarily say anything about taurine. The focus is more on the substitutes.
But seeing they say theirs is supplemental food then indeed it might not have enough taurine. I was only talking about “complete food”, not complimentary/supplemental ones.
Oh, I'm definitely willing to give My Little Lion a try! I just wasn't too keen on it before because I couldn't get an answer from the company as to why it wasn't considered nutritionally complete. So I very much appreciate you sharing the response you received.This whole discussion stems from my recommendation of a food labeled for supplemental feedings only. But no-one could figure out why it's labeled that. It has arguably one of the best ingredient lists out there. Even the response I got back from them seems unsatisfying. If they pride themselves on nutrition, they should know whether their food meets or exceed AAFCO standards or not. If it doesn't, why is it trying so hard to look like a balanced and complete food? Why add taurine and the other supplements if you aren't going for the AAFCO statement? The whole thing baffles me. But for a short-term, get some calories in Buddy kind of thing, whatever the deficiency, this still looks like a better option than baby food and nutri-cal. And really, the recommendation was because of how high the calories are. If Buddy is only going to get so much in his mouth at a time, or if it has to be "watered" down to push through the syringe, then you'd like to start with a high calorie food. This is the highest I've seen from a wet "food." (balanced or otherwise.)
It's so funny how cats are so different as to their likes and dislikes. Sometimes we're lucky, and what one cat won't eat, another will. And sometimes we just wind up with a bunch of food that no one will eat!I recently tried My Little Lion with my guys. I have one with chicken sensitivity and one with a turkey sensitivity so poultry is out. I've tried a lot of different proteins and settled on rabbit or fish as the only two they will really go for. So I got the My Little Lion Salmon and Rabbit. The Rabbit is a hit with all three while the Salmon is a mixed reaction. One seems to be okay with it while the other two aren't sure.